15-ton Prehistoric Shark Captured in Pakistan-Fiction!

15-ton Prehistoric Shark Captured in Pakistan-Fiction!

Summary of eRumor:
 
A 15-ton prehistoric shark that was believed to be extinct for more than a million years was captured off the coast of Pakistan.
The Truth:
A 15-ton prehistoric shark wasn’t captured off the coast of Pakistan.

Photos of the so-called prehistoric shark that accompany the eRumor were actually taken in 2009 off the coast of South Africa. The photos reportedly show a monster great white shark that weighed in at 1,500 pounds and measured 14 feet in length, the Witness, a South African newspaper, reports.

The monster shark, which was described as an adolescent female, was netted off the Dolphin Coast of KwZulu-Natal. It was towed slowly to shore, tagged and released because great white sharks are protected there. The next morning the shark was found dead near the coast.

Bogus reports of the 15-ton prehistoric shark can be traced back to World News Daily Report, a satirical web publication that posted the story in September 2014.

Posted 10/06/14